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Friday, June 30, 2017

Our beautiful back door transformation!

Goodness! I've been so excited to share this transformation with you! It's been in the works for a few months and then the lovely folks at Kwikset asked if I'd like to share a door transformation with you and it all worked out so perfectly! It is SO GOOD!

Years ago we replaced windows in our family room with these double doors:

They were a total game changer for our house. They let in so much light and make everything feel so much more open. One of our best decisions ever.

You'll notice they look like French doors, but only one side opens -- we were told that double exterior doors (that both open) can cause problems over time. This was such a great compromise. The look without the issues!

I think I told you then that I had big plans for this spot outside...I've had this in mind for a long time!

The doors have held up great, except for this middle section -- no idea why the paint started flaking but it was making a mess:

AND that hardware had seen better days for sure.

I used a scraper to take all the excess paint off before doing anything:

Then I did a very light sanding to make sure all the chippy paint was gone.

I repainted that part of the door and then tackled the hardware. I was so thrilled when Kwikset offered us new hardware for our exterior doors. One, because they were looking worn after all these years. TWO (this is the best part) -- they provided stylish and durable products with Kwikset's SmartKey security feature as well. Because I've changed out our hardware years back we were using THREE different keys for our exterior doors. It was way too much. This awesome product not only helps to protect against common and destructive break-in methods, but it also allowed me to easily change the key so that ONE works for all the doors.

Mind blown.

But first, more about the pretty hardware. 😍 There are a few DIY projects that I know people avoid because they seem too difficult. This is one of them -- but I think it would surprise you how easy it is to change out both interior and exterior door hardware.

For the knob you just unscrew the hardware and pull it apart. Then replace it with the new version and match up the screws to the holes inside. It's pretty easy!:

Looking better already, right? If you paint your doors you really should take the hardware off -- it's really not that bad! I've learned from experience that you'll kick yourself for not doing it if you ever change your knobs later.

Because I was changing this out from a knob to this nicer handleset, I only needed to add one hole at the bottom to screw in the lower part of the handle. I just used a drill bit to drill through the door and then screw it in.

For the deadbolt it's not much different -- their instructions cover every single issue you may run into. Again, you need to just unscrew the two pieces and take them off of the door:

Then you'll need to replace the deadbolt part. Just remove the two screws and pull it out:

This is the Smart Key awesomeness I was telling you about earlier:

More on that in a bit!

The Kwikset SmartKey product offers better security because of their unique design that protects against lock picking and lock bumping -- I had to look up that last one. There's been an increase in those occurring in home burglaries.

I also love that they provide the really long screws that you should use to secure your deadbolt plate to the door frame:

The longer the better for these!

The lock part goes together like the bottom -- you match up the insides and then insert the screws to pull everything together. (More on that in a bit!)

But this is the best part...they provide this little tool that allows you to re-key each lock to work on the same key. You follow their very short instructions with your old key and the new one, and insert this into the little slot:

And presto! Your key works on ALL OF THE LOCKS. Hello! I cannot tell you how nice and convenient it's been to operate with one key!

I was able to change out our front door hardware as well -- and followed the same process. There are a couple little tricks the Kwikset hardware offers that I wanted to mention because you may need to know these if you tackle this project.

When you fit your two pieces together on the door (front and back), there's a half circle metal piece that inserts inside the door. If you've ever installed hardware you know what I'm talking about. You can see it here:

If your hardware has this section facing the other way the fix is EASY -- you just tug on that half circle metal and then twist. It flips over to the other side. Takes two seconds. Brilliant.

This next one is awesome. When you install your new deadbolt or door latch, you'll want that hole in the center to be in the middle of the circle:

If yours isn't centered this fix is easy too.

You just press down the little buttons and slide it to the length you need:

It was at 2 3/8 and I needed it to be 2 3/4. Again, so easy!

I was able to switch out all of our doors in about 90 minutes. It worked so well and I'm still geeking out at how pretty it looks. (And...ONE key.):

Remember -- when you install hardware the screws always go on the inside! :) This goes for in the house too. You want to make sure you can use a screwdriver from the inside if you're ever locked in a room for some reason.

OK! Now for the transformation I couldn't wait to share with you! I've always wanted to do this, but when we finished the pergola last it was decided it would happen. We just weren't sure when.

The back of our house is all vinyl so I've always wanted to break it up a bit (see the before pics above). The double doors helped a ton, but I knew this would make an even bigger impact. I'm obsessed. :)

Check out those doors now!:

Holy cats, isn't it beautiful?? I've been dying to show you!

It all came together so beautifully. We had the trellis built over the back door to match the pergola -- it's a similar design but simpler.

Our door opens out (something else I'm so glad we did) to save space inside. It's not been a big deal at all, but we knew from the start we'd want to add a little something over the door eventually. Not a roof, but just enough that it would provide some cover from rain and block some snow from falling right there.

This has helped already! And it looks SO good. On our RV trip a few weeks ago I ran into an IKEA and found these pretty trellises in their outdoor section. They match our stain perfectly!:

I've had the pots for years -- I spray painted them a couple years ago to give them new life and it's held up great. And aren't those pillows perfect with the door color?

I picked up the chairs from Meijer on clearance for another spot and then put them on each side. My mind needs symmetry...it is my friend:

It really helps to break up the expanse of vinyl on the house. We just adore it.

Our son said it looks like a place in the Bahamas and I just love that! ;) You can see that I strung some vine through the trellises -- I'm hoping they'll take to it and keep going! How pretty will that be?:

It ties in so well with out pergola design:

Here's another before pic from last summer:

And here's how it looks now:

Gah. I just love it. The expanse of vinyl has been broken up just enough.

It took a few months to pull it all together but I'm so happy with it. It's just beautiful. And the new hardware is like pretty jewelry on the door -- it makes it feel like so much grander of an entrance.

Here's a look at night -- we love sitting out here in the evenings, and during the day this provides plenty of shade so we can sit out here and enjoy the space then too:

Thank you to Kwikset for the hardware -- I can't recommend that Smart Key feature enough. If you ever lose your keys or they are stolen, this makes it easy to re-key the lock in just seconds. I couldn't believe how easy it was.

The kind folks at Kwikset are offering their Juno knob and deadbolt combo pack (with the SmartKey) in Venetian Bronze to one of my readers! If you'd like to be entered just leave a comment here! We'll have it sent out to the winner. (Deadline to enter is noon EST on Wednesday, July 5.)

I've been dying to share this one with you! I hope you enjoy it. If you have questions about anything feel free to ask!This post is sponsored by Kwikset and they provided the hardware I used. All opinions are my own and I only share brands that I know and love with my readers.

My poor front door is in the bright sun and the knob and deadbolt have not held up well. A new one would be amazing and would make me paint the front door too (it's been on my list for 2 years). Your back porch is so dreamy now!

The doors look amazing. We bought the Juno knobs in Venetian Bronze last year when we bought our house. I love them. We ran into one small problem when we went to install it on our front door. For some reason the hole drilled for our knob was farther in than the 2 3/4 setting. I couldn't find one that would go to 5" which is what we needed. Luckily my co-worker told me you can buy the longer piece that goes into the door and use the same kwikset knob from Amazon. It was super easy to swap out and I was able to do it by myself. We are planning on getting the matching Juno knobs for our bedrooms and bathrooms. The previous owners that it was a good idea to buy keyed knobs for interior doors :(

Your deck is so beautiful! I love all the updates you have made over the years. I have two questions: how do you deal with bugs when you are sitting out there in the evenings? And what is that coppery thing you have hanging in the corner to the left of your doors?!

I love the new look, Sarah. Due to your inspiration, my mind is spinning now with ideas for our back sliding door. And if I should win new door hardware, I might be able to talk Honey into the new front door that I've been wanting. (Poor guy, he never stands a chance!) :)

The whole area is such a lovely statement now. As always, inspiring. The hardware install feels a little intimidating; thanks for spelling it out. I wonder if you or Kwikset could address the security issue of a small tool which when inserted can be used to allow/change the access to a different key. Happy Independence Day!Chrissy

I've just added that exact door knob/deadbolt to my wish list the other day- we just remodeled our mudroom (entry from the garage) and had tried spray painting the current gold toned knob to ORB, but it's scratching off and looks terrible - time for a new knob! We replaced all our door knobs with the Smart key Kwikset in our previous home and the new owners were so happy that they didn't have to change all the locks! Such a great feature.

Looks pretty I didn't know you can have the option of French doors that open out. We have what you do with the one side opening only but we have to move our dining room chair to open it all the way and it's a major pain. I really didn't want to go to a sliding glass door so this is good to know. Love the new hardware. We need new on the same door I was discussing. It is brass and it's so weathered and horrible-looking.

It looks great! All of it! I'm going to have to go check out these smart locks. I must be missing something, but I would think a thief would just get one of those little pointy devices and reset locks to get in.

Great post! The 2-3/8" and 2-3/4" are backsets. If you measure the edge of the door to the center of the hole, you can easily determine your backset before you install everything and find you have it on the wrong one ;)

Beautiful! I love the pergola - and the symmetry :) I wish I had your assurances it's a doable project before we moved into our new house! We hired a locksmith to change out the locks but still have ugly hardware. Now I know I can easily replace it with something prettier

Wow! Beautiful transformation, Sarah! Love the color you selected for the door and the "styling" with the two wicker chairs flanking it - looks so inviting! Thanks for the introduction to Kwikset Smartkey. I didn't even know that a product like this existed! Love that it's available at our local Home Depot and Ace Hardware and is very-well rated online.

I'm fairly new to your blog, having just purchased a new (117 year old) home -- we moved in 4 days ago. :) I just love what you've done with your door; everything works so well together. We have many very old doors here with extremely old doorknobs and hardware (and layers of paint on them, yay!) so the thought of new doorknobs brings me much joy!

I'm going to be painting our front door soon and plan on changing the hardware too. This looks like a great choice! I also love the color of your doors. I'm consistently impressed with your projects and love your decorating style. Happy 4th!

Beautiful! If you ever run out of projects at your place, feel free to help me with mine :) We are replacing our roof in a few weeks and I will need to repaint my shutters and front doors so I could love some new hardware for it

I'm always checking to see what great things you've come up with next. My husband and I are closing on our first house in less than a month and I can't wait to try some of your fantastic ideas in our own home. :)

I found your blog not too long ago and I love it. You are my very favorite. Love your ideas and creativity. We added the hinges and handles to our garage doors (like you did to yours) and it is exactly what the house needed! I'm thrilled every day I come home to see them and I owe it all to you! I had no idea something like that existed. I thought garage doors with hinges and handles had to be purchased that way. Love your new back door and I'm happy to know about the Kwikset Smartkey. I'm adding that to my wish list!

What a beautiful transformation! I have always liked the look of a pergola. I wonder if a clematis would grow on your trellis - it would be very pretty!My daughter just bought a house and a new lock set would be a nice upgrade for her front door. I hope I win the giveaway. :)

You do realize that by turning those doors around to open outwardly you've created a huge security risk? Anyone can pull the pins out of the hinges to gain access to your house, even when the doors are locked.

I have been pinning trellises over garages and Windows and this looks STUNNING! I love it! I love kwikset and could use another front door set....our door gets a beating from the east sun and the hardware is getting killed